Improvement in generating steam



UNITE-n STAM-:s PATENT Orr-roe.

V`CHARLES F. POND, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT lN GENERATING STEAM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. H6347, dated March-3, 1857.

rT0 all whom it may concern:

VBeit known that I, CHARLES F. POND, of

the town and county of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have invent-ed a new and Improved Mode of Generating Steam; and=I do erating steam by means of bringing` water in small quantities and divided into minute particles into Contact with metal heated by steam.

The result of this invention is a great savy ing of fuel and space, a saving in the wear of the metal b'y contact with which the steam is generated, as it lasts much longer when heated A'in this way than when heated directly by tire, and less danger by explosion, as a boiler necessary for the same power with my improvement is much smaller than is required in the usual mode of generating` steam, and of two boilers constructed in the same way and with iron of the same thickness the smaller has the most strength.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction andoperation.

I construct my steam-boiler for generating the steam with which the plates are to be heated in any of the known forms, with the usual appendages. Such a boiler is represented on the accompanying drawings and marked A. These drawings are on` a scale of one and a half inch to a foot and represent a `boiler for an engine of about twenty horsepower.

The figure marked A2 represents in perspective the chest containing the metal plates which generate the working-steam, the figure marked B being a cross-section thereof, and Jthe figure marked'D a longitudinal section thereof. Vit-hin this steam-chest are placed several metal steam-boxes quite flat in proportion to their length and width and extending in length and width nearly across the 'steam-chest, the upper parts of which boxes are the plates which generate theworkingsteam. These steam-boxes are. indicated by the letters E on the sections of the steam` chest, and they are connected with each other and withl the steamjacket hereinafter described by the hollow supporters G.

`supports G.

The letter F indicates a steam-jacket surrounding the steam-chest, into which jacket the steam passes from the boiler through the pipe C, and from the jacket the same passes into the steam-boxes E' through the hollow These boxes are rmly braced within and tothe steam-chest, but do not themselves come in contact or connect with it, except by the supports G, so that the steam in the chest outside the boxes, while passing freely into every part of the chest, does not communicate with the steam inside the boxes and in the jacket, except as hereinafter mentioned. The steam in the jacket and boxes is used to heat the apparatus for generating the working-steam. AIt is not used to work the engine, except as hereinafter described. The steam in the steam-chest Outside the boxes is the working-steam.

The steam-chest and steam-boxes should be steam-tight, and may be made of 1 boiler-iron of about the thickness of that'used for the boiler connected with the apparatus.-

The letter H in the section of the steamchest represents small metal pipes entering thevchest at one end and secured to it at the other, in which the water to be converted into working-.steam is introduced into the chest. These run the whole length of the steam-boxes and near the surface of the same. These pipes are perforated with numerous very fine orifices so arranged on the bottom and sides of the pipes that'when the water in the pipes is forced through them in small jets it will strike on different portions of the plates composing the upper parts of the above-named boxes, bot-h toward the extremities and the center of the plates. Some of these orifices, as also the passage of the water through the same, are indicated on the sections of the steamchest by the letter I.L Eighty orifices in each of said pipes and each orifice about the eight-- Aieth part of an inch in diameter would be a convenient number and size for an apparatus such as is represented in the drawings. These pipes extend from the point where they enter the steam-chest to the small pumpsl indicated on the drawings by the letter J, with which pumps they are connected, and by the working of which they are/supplied with water. These pumps are driven by the engine. The

number of these pumps maybe varied according to the number of pipes, the extent of the surface of the steam-boxes, and the power of .the engine. .l employ one for each of the pipes H. These pumps are so geared to the engine that they do notforce the water into' and through all thepipes H at the same time, but successively. The quantity of water forced through each pipe can be easily regulated by the ordinary apparatus, so that at each move- 'ment of the piston just as much steam willbe generated as 'is required by the Working of the engine.

K on the drawings indicates the pipe throughwhich the steam is conveyed from the steamchest into the cylinder.

L on the drawings indicates a screw-valve connecting t-he steam-jacket with the steamchest, by means of which a communication between them may be made.

M is a cock for drawingoff water that may at any time collect in the steam-chest; orthe same can easily be pumped up andused over again to generate steam.

N is a pipe through which anywater produced by the condensation of steamin the steam boxes and jacket isdrawn oif into the boiler A, and from the supply of hot Water thus furnished the boiler can be Worked many hours without introducing Vany other water.

For the purpose of drawing oit the water it is a matter of convenience to have the lower part of the steam-chest as high as the ordinary surface of the Water in the boiler.

' The operation of this apparatus is as follows: When the steam is raised in the boiler in the usual way, it passes through the pipe C into the jacket and steam-boxes and rapidly heats the steam-boxes and the inner covering of the steam-chest. The valve L is then raised so as to admit the steam into the chest outside the steam-boxes'. The steam thus admitted into the chest outside' the steamboxes passes through the pipe K to the cylinder and gives motion to the engine and to the pumps. The valve L is then closed so as to exclude the steam of the boiler from the chest out-side the boxes, the boxes being Iilled inside with the boiler-steam. The water raised by cnc-of the pumps put in motion, as above described, is then forced through the pipe H, connected therewith, and through the orifices therein., and in numerous small jets falls upon nearly every portion of the metal plate forming the surface of the steam-box E directly underneath the pipe. This plate being intensely heated by tho steam from the boiler contained in the box, of which this plate is the upper part, immediately converts the water thus thrown thereon into steam, and this steam passes instantly through the pipe K into the cylinder, thus causing the piston to make another stroke, and also working the pump connected with another of the pipes ll, and thus the working of the apparatus continues, each box 'having time to regain the necessary degree of heat before itis again used to create steam.

The steam-jacket aids much. in preventing the waste of heat. The aste of heat may also be prevented, although., .sa ithink, in a 'less convenient way, by enlargin 1^ the jack ,t

boxes; or the steam-chest may be entirelyinclosed within' the boiler, all which can easily be done by 4any machinist, only changing the form of some parts of the apparatus,

The apparatus may be of different forms and of .sizes proportioned to the power required. Four square feet of surface of heated metal receiving the jets of water, as hereinbefore described, Will generate steam equal to about one horse-power.

The usual mode of generating steam is, as in ordinary boilers, by keeping large quantities of water in contact with metal heated by fire. This involves a great .waste of fuel from keeping so large a volume of water constantly vheated to the necessary temperature. There have also been attempts made to generate steam by bringing small quantities of water successively in contact with metal heated directly' by fire; but one practical diiiiculty among others in 'thus generating steam has been that the action of the iire would so operate upon the metal that the apparatus would keep' in Working-.order but a very short time, and the metal would soon be destroyed.

The mode herein described of bringing successively small portions of water divided into minute particles in contact with metal heated by steam remedies these practical difiiculties and yields the advantages hereinbefore stated.

I do not claim as my invention, either singly or in combination, the boiler, pumps, steam-chest, or the surrounding 'the same with steam or heated air; nor do I claim as my invention any part of said apparatus by itself, nor the generation of steam by bringing water either in-large or small quantities in Contact withv metal heated directly by fire but Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I The method 4of generating steam from water introduced in numerous line jets and thrown upon heated metallic surfaces, substantially as described, when this is combined with the Vheating of the said metallic surface on which the jets of Water are to be thrown to be evaporated by the contact oi steam generated in a separate boiler connected therewith for circulation and other purposes, substantially-as described.

Dated at Hartford, in the State of Connecticut, this l-lth day of August, 1854.

CHARLES F. POND.

Niinessem T. C. PERKINS, CHAs. E. PERKINS. 

